It looks like the real Mikoto is somewhere afterall. We didn’t get to see her face, but there’s no question it’s her. There was a pretty big development regarding Nina in this episode. Nagi seems to have an idea of who Nina really is and he no longer has a use for Arica. When they showed Shizuru in this episode I was kind of surprised. Now I’m sort of curious as to what exactly went on in the room with Shizuru. My initial thought was some “interesting” fetish went on in there. It might just be my imagination getting the better of me. Chie is seen standing by someone’s beside briefly. Chances are it’s Aoi so at least we now know she is alright if that is indeed Aoi. This episode was a turning point for Mashiro. I liked the entire sequence of scenes that made Mashiro determined to rule for her people. Seeing her now compared to how she was in the beginning is like day and night. She is a completely different person now. I thought the narration for the preview was hilarious. Even though it wasn’t part of the acutal episode, it did a good job to help lighten the serious mood a bit.